1. Field of the Description
The present description relates, in general, to amusement park rides and other entertainment rides such as round rides, and, more particularly, to amusement or theme park round rides configured to position vehicles at two or more radii on support arms that are attached to a central hub. The central hub is rotated at two or more speeds so as to provide passengers in the vehicles a dynamically changing ride experience.
2. Relevant Background
Amusement and theme parks are popular worldwide with hundreds of millions of people visiting the parks each year. Park operators continuously seek new designs for rides that attract and continue to entertain park visitors. Many parks include round rides that include vehicles or gondolas mounted on support arms extending outward from a centrally located structure that is rotated by a drive assembly. The passengers or riders sit in the vehicles and are rotated by the drive assembly, which spins the structure about its central axis.
In some of these rides, the passengers may operate an interactive device, such as a joystick in the vehicle, to make the support arm and their attached vehicle gradually move upward or downward within a limited, preset range such as by pivoting the support arm at its connection to the central hub. Some rides also allow the passengers to control the pitch of their vehicle. However, even with these added features, it is difficult to provide a round ride that attracts repeat riders because the ride experience is repetitive and predictable. For example, the support arm typically has a fixed length and the vehicle is rigidly or pivotally mounted at a fixed location on the support arm. Hence, the radius at which the vehicle rotates about the central hub or rotation assembly does not vary much resulting in ride dynamics, such as centripetal force applied to the vehicle and vehicle speed, that are unchanging or vary only within a small range.
There remains a need for new round rides that improve the ride experience such as by providing a larger range of ride dynamics, e.g., bigger range of vehicle speeds, while retaining the benefits of a rotating structure or round ride including a small footprint, simple control systems, and relatively low construction and maintenance costs.